Facebook introduces new feature for publishers

The social media giant, Facebook, has introduced a new feature for news publishers.

According to a statement by Andrew Amker, Facebook Product Manager, the new feature seeks to display publishers’ logo next to articles written and posted by them on Facebook.

“Today, we will begin introducing publisher logos next to articles in Trending and Search surfaces on Facebook as part of our ongoing efforts to enhance people’s recognition of the sources of news distributed on our platform,” said Mr Andrew.

To ensure authenticity, the feature helps in identifying the various sources of news content posted on Facebook. This also allows readers better decide what to read and share.

Publishers via a “Brand Asset Library”, would also be able to upload multiple versions of their logos. For starters, the feature would be exclusively for articles in “Trending and Search”, but will be available eventually to other outlets where news is being consumed by readers.

A research by Pew Research Center in February, 2017, showed that when people see a link to an article, it is difficult for them to associate that particular link to the source. The research also stated that only 56 per cent of respondents could trace or recall the sources of the link.

By introducing publisher logos next to article links, Facebook has made it easier for publishers to extend their brand identity and in so doing, create more awareness of their brand.

The new feature was built in close collaboration with a number of Facebook partners, as part of the Facebook Journalism Project which is being shared with all publishers.